This invention relates to lawn sprinklers and, more particularly, to oscillating wave type lawn sprinklers.
The oscillating wave type lawn sprinkler has met with widespread acceptance by the purchasing public. The design has proven popular because it provides portability and flexibility, allowing manual selection from a variety of patterns of spray coverage. Additionally, sprinklers of this general type are operable over a wide range of water pressures and are capable of sprinkling water evenly over a relatively large coverage area.
An oscillating wave lawn sprinkler available prior to this invention typically had an arcuate spray tube which was angularly oscillated on an axis defined by the tube's end portions. The oscillation was effected by spray tube linkage means that were driven by a water-actuated motor. The motor typically had a water driven impeller and a reduction gear train located in a housing through which the water to be sprinkled was first passed. The spray tube was rigidly secured to the linkage means.
A major drawback to the aforedescribed prior art devices was that they frequently were damaged when accidentally dropped or otherwise subjected to substantial external forces. The spray tubes, being rigidly connected to the linkage means and therefore not being capable of yielding easily to such forces, were frequently bent irreparably. Moreover, the spray tube linkage means were often damaged by such external forces.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing that there is a definite need for an oscillating wave lawn sprinkler that is better able to withstand damage to its spray tube when subjected to accidental dropping or other external forces. The present invention fulfills this need.